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Importance of background values in assessing the impact of heavy metals in river ecosystems: case study of Tisza River, Serbia

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Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate how a choice of different background values may affect assessing the anthropogenic heavy metal pollution in sediments from Tisza River (Serbia). The second objective of this paper is to underline significance of using geochemical background values when establishing quality criteria for sediment. Enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (I geo), pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) were calculated using different background values. Three geochemical (average metal concentrations in continental crust, average metal concentrations in shale, and average metal concentrations in non-contaminated core sediment samples) and two statistical methods (delineation method and principal component analyses) were used for calculating background values. It can be concluded that obtained information of pollution status can be more dependent on the use of background values than the index/factor chosen. The best option to assess the potential river sediment contamination is to compare obtained concentrations of analyzed elements with concentrations of mineralogically and texturally comparable, uncontaminated core sediment samples. Geochemical background values should be taken into account when establishing quality criteria for soils, sediments, and waters. Due to complexity of the local lithology, it is recommended that environmental monitoring and assessment include selection of an appropriate background values to gain understanding of the geochemistry and potential source of pollution in a given environment.

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Acknowledgements

Research was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia, Grants 176006 and 176019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, Vojvode Putnika 87, Sremska Kamenica, 21208, Serbia

    Snežana Štrbac

  2. Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, IChTM, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Milica Kašanin Grubin

  3. Faculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, Djušina 7, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia

    Nebojša Vasić

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  1. Snežana Štrbac
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  2. Milica Kašanin Grubin
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  3. Nebojša Vasić
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Correspondence to Snežana Štrbac.

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Štrbac, S., Kašanin Grubin, M. & Vasić, N. Importance of background values in assessing the impact of heavy metals in river ecosystems: case study of Tisza River, Serbia. Environ Geochem Health 40, 1247–1263 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-017-0053-0

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